Shifting Gears into Fall
Happy autumn, Trivet friends! Trivet team member Tim here.
It’s a few weeks late, but fall finally showed up in New York City this morning, and I’m already anticipating my first run in crisp air. I don’t know if my cooking ever takes a larger shift than it does at this time of year; I tend to hold on to my summer mindset as long as possible (we grilled pork tenderloins last night) and then all of a sudden — boom — stews and braises are here.
Now that we’ve been running Trivet Recipes for a while, it’s always fun watching the colors in the photos change season to season; we’ve had a few months of colorful veggies and desserts, now we’re shifting to the golds and browns of baked goods and braises.
Katherine was lucky enough to grab some time with Laura Certutti, who runs the Italian Kitchen Confessions blog. Her site has one of my favorite no-nonsense layouts, and I admit to having more than one of her Italian classics in my recipe collection.
1. How do you describe your blog to newcomers?
Italian Kitchen Confessions is a blog where I share my love and passion for Italian food and travel. I share a combination of traditional Italian recipes, special regional dishes from Veneto (the region where I am from) and some recipes that I have developed. I called the blog “Italian Kitchen Confessions” because the kitchen has always been the place where I learned the story of my family and the secrets of cooking, and many of my fondest memories revolve around the kitchen. I like to share these “confessions” because food for me is more than just making a recipe—it is about creating special moments with your loved ones.
2. What do you consider your greatest culinary achievement?
Over the past few years, I have really focused on improving my skills in making homemade pasta, and I am very happy with this journey. I have experimented with different flours, blends, and shapes, as I like to create new textures and flavors. Making homemade pasta gives me lot of joy, not just from the process but sharing unique dishes with family and friends.
3. What is your idea of perfect food happiness?
Tough to pick—all food makes me happy ☺. I will say—my perfect meals are in the Italian countryside with all the family, sharing a rich meal with traditional appetizers, homemade tagliatelle with ragù, and seasonal veggies. And of course, an amazing bottle of Italian red wine!
4. What is your current state of mind?
Things are pretty crazy these days, as I am moving from Dubai to New York. After ten years of having a nice BIG kitchen in Dubai, I am very focused on finding something similar in New York—not an easy task!
5. What is your most treasured kitchen possession?
I actually have two. One is my set of Japanese knives, which I bought during our trip to1 Japan years ago. They are simply the best and really simplify my food prep. The second is a cast iron skillet which I use to sear fish and cook vegetables with the stove-to-oven method. I love this and really recommend it to everyone.
6. Who is your hero of food?
Someone I have a lot of respect for is Giada De Laurentis—she is a real chef, and yet is able to share her passion in such an authentic and genuine way. But my true culinary heroes are my parents—I learned to cook from them at a very young age, and to this day I love spending time in the kitchen with them.
7. What is it that you most dislike in food or cooking?
Using ready-made products, processed food, fast food . . . you get the idea. You can cook a pasta with fresh tomato sauce in less than thirty minutes . . . why not enjoy a simple but genuine meal?
8. Which culinary talent would you most like to have?
I really like experimental fusion cuisine—I am always so impressed by the creativity and boldness of some chefs. Even if something is not perfect, I have so much respect for the fact that they are experimenting. This is something I have started to play with, but I still have a long way to go.
9. If you could change one thing about yourself as a cook, what would it be?
I am not great at decorating cakes—and I am always enamored by showstopper masterpieces. It’s something I’m working on—hopefully I’ll get there!
10. Finally, what is something that’s been bringing you joy lately that you would like to endorse to others?
The past year has been so tough on everyone – I would like to encourage everyone to get out and enjoy life once the pandemic is behind us. And to certainly encourage them to visit my beautiful country – to enjoy the rich culture, the delicious food, the amazing wine and the breathtaking scenery!
Thank you!
Please do look Laura up at her site Italian Kitchen Confessions, as well as on Instagram.
That’s all I have for you this time! Thank you so much for subscribing; if you have any thoughts on bloggers you’d like us to talk to, please reach out. We’re slowly but surely making progress on our idea for a new ad network for food sites — you can be sure that we’ll shout about it once it’s ready!